I had been waiting for the Brooklyn Half ever since I started running the NYRR races. Finally! I don't have to wake up crazy early for race day because BF lives in Brooklyn! Yay, so I "slept" in a bit that morning because BF dropped me off.

The expo was a bit of a hassle to get to but had some fun shopping items and a display of the different areas of Brooklyn. They had a station where you could personalize your shirt with spray paint. I love the tech tshirt that we received! It was fitted nicely for women and the design was simple but nice. I also ended up buying another shirt at the expo because new balance rocks.

Race morning was great. Porta potties were everywhere and the lines were not too long. They were sectioned off by corral too.

The course was nice but it was hard to appreciate at the beginning because it was pouring in the park. Soggy shoes and soaked clothing makes for an uncomfortable start. As the morning progressed, the rain felt great because the sun was beating down. Unfortunately, all the rain made for some bad chaffage.

The park had some elevations to it but most of the course felt flat. There is a large stretch on Ocean Parkway that just feels like torture because it just goes on and on. But at least by the naming of the Avenues, you get a feel of how much further you have to go (letters of the alphabet). Once you get close to Coney Island, there is a ramp to get onto the boardwalk (last struggle on my calves!).

The post race area was such a mess. People were fighting for heat sheets. I was able to snag an apple. I didn't bother going to the post race festivities. There was just so many people. I'm glad that I didn't have bag check; things looked chaotic. I was able to walk to the MTA to head home. They even let the runners on for free! Score.

I try to avoid running the same races because I like a sense of variety but I gave in to running the Hot Chocolate 15k again. Honestly, it was for the chocolate bar shaped medal (as pathetic as that make me seem).

The expo was at a different hall of the Convention Center than last year. It seemed less exciting this year and the vendors were really lacking. They had an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids, which would seem cool if I had kids. I went during lunch and was in and out in about 15 mins. The best part of the expo was the hoodie area. They had samples of the hoodies that people could try on and then exchange if they needed a different size. Last year we got a tech pull over. This year, they were cotton hoodie zip ups. I liked that it's not the same as last year. We also got a reusable drawstring bag and I got a free hat (with promo code).

The expo had some chocolate fountains with marshmallows and hot chocolate.

The course was the same as last year along the river. One of the stations included marshmallows, which is different but I would not partake in. The corrals went fairly quickly and I didn't have too long of a wait for the porta potties.

At the finish, there was a bit of a wait for the finisher mugs of chocolate goodies with lots of variety of snacks to dip in the melted chocolate. Though there weren't too many photographers on the course, the pictures are free to download.

It's a good race to sign up for if you're training for Broad Street. Weather could be hit or miss though in early April.

I'm really on the fence about how I feel about the Love Run. The registration for the Love Run was cheaper than what I had paid for last year's Rock N Roll Philly Half and the Philadelphia Half Marathon. So I guess in terms of fee, it was a pretty good deal. The Love Run is managed by CGI Racing, which is good at promoting all their other races but was bad at communication about the actual race. I think it was a few days before the race that I had heard anything about bib pickups. This was inconvenient too, having the packet pick up at Citizen Bank Park. It's quite a trek to get there during lunch.

The expo was just okay. I felt like I was in a maze trying to pick up everything at the stadium. The bibs were on a different floor from the shirts and the vendors. Part of the swag was a coffee mug that was pretty nice. We also got a voucher for two free Phillies tickets. The clear plastic bag smelled way funky though. The shirts were tech and long sleeves and pretty nice.

Race day for this race has been a miss. Last year it rained. This year it was freezing. I was surprised it was that cold without snowing. The wind plus running by the river was brutal. Porta potties were plentiful and not overly long. There was a VIP section for teams with 20+ people but my group did not make the cut.

There were no set corrals but there were signs for anticipated finish times. It was pretty much a disorganized mess. I was too cold to notice the start time but it seemed pretty on point. There were plenty of aid stations throughout the course. The route starts off pretty flat until maybe mile 5-6 near the Please Touch Museum. There are a few other hilly spots but also some declines too.

I didn't notice a lot of photographers on the course except during the first few miles on Ben Franklin Parkway and at the end (not sure if these will be free or cost). The finisher medal is pretty large and cool with a spinner. The recovery bag came with a soft (rock hard) pretzel, an Uncrustable, an orange and a Tastykake. There were also heat sheets given out. I missed out on the free beer.

I don't think there was anything particularly enticing about this race except maybe the medal. The route is similar to the Rock N Roll Philly and the Philadelphia Half. I would choose either of those races before running the Love Run again. The weather in September and November felt slightly better than March in this case. It seemed like the crowd interaction is best during the Philadelphia Marathon / Half in November.